Ice and Fire
by Weapon of Choice
Summary: Because there aren't nearly enough Kyp Durron stories. Kyp agrees to help defend a planet, but didn't plan on caring for their ruler.
1. KyRa

Kyp Durron let his brown eyes narrow. He was tired of being held in this ceremonial stateroom on the obscure rim world planet of Ziost. Luke Skywalker had sent him to the planet to run negotiations with the high queen of the planet about the impending Yuuzhan Vong crisis that was about to hit her world. So far, he had seen nothing of the queen, or Ky as they seemed to call them here.  
  
Kyp started pacing. Confined spaces and nothing to do were not a good combination for him. He couldn't leave and that chafed at his soul. He always wanted to be doing something, to never slow down. Slowing down meant he had time to think, and that time inevitably led to thoughts of guilt over his past. If he didn't meet with the Ky soon, he might leave, orders or no.  
  
Suddenly a massive door at the end of the room slid open. A young woman and a man both dressed in military uniform of the Ziostians walked into the room.  
  
"Master Durron," the woman said, giving a clipped bow, "we're sorry about the wait, but this meeting required the clearing of a large bit of our schedule."  
  
Kyp looked rather irritably at the two military officials. He was in no mood to have to get through them to see the Ky.  
  
"I was rather hoping that I would be able to speak to the Ky in person," he said with a barely controlled sigh.  
  
"You are," the woman said with a wry smile.  
  
Kyp started at the new information. The woman in front of him was barely five foot three. She had curly golden brown hair that was barely controlled by the jeweled clasp at the back of her neck. That seemed to be the only ornamentation on her plain black military uniform. Nothing about her would suggest that she was anything other than a normal soldier. The man standing next to her was probably about twenty years older than the woman. He had a good-natured face and close-cropped brown hair. On closer inspection, Kyp noticed a large number of military bars on his arm and chest. This man was obviously a high-ranking official.  
  
"I'm Ky-Ra," the woman said, extending her hand to the Jedi Master, "and this is my father, High General Stratus Mallorven."  
  
Kyp smiled ruefully.  
  
"I was expecting something a bit more formal, I must admit," he said.  
  
"You'd be thinking of my wife," Stratus said with a smile, "Cobra is now acting as senator for our planet and our daughter as taken the title of Ky. The pictures you saw of Cobra-Ky were probably a bit more formal. Unfortunately, this isn't much of a time for formality."  
  
Kyp nodded. He looked closely at Ky-Ra. There was a definite similarity to her eyes that echoed her father's, but there was little else to suggest relation. She was nothing of what he expected the notoriously wealthy and formal Ziostians to be. Ziost's core was made of precious stones, leaving the planet as one of the wealthiest in the galaxy. It was also an ice planet, making existence a metropolitan affair.  
  
"We need to discuss you're planetary defenses," Kyp said finally, "the Yuuzhan Vong don't have much interest in your planet right now, but that doesn't mean they won't very soon."  
  
"We have the best military in the galaxy, Master Durron," Ky-Ra said bluntly, "what exactly do you have in mind."  
  
From what Kyp knew of the planet, the Ky wasn't speaking proudly, she was just stating facts. While Ziostian warriors claimed no Force ability, they were highly trained in Jedi fighting style, or something closely linked to it, and were capable of 'doing things' as old New Republic military men claimed. Whether those things where simply an exaggeration of what was a powerful military force, or if the Ziostians really were capable of using some sort of power, Kyp didn't know.  
  
"I don't know how your defenses work, I have to admit," Kyp said, "but the Jedi and the Ziostians might be the only two forces left in the galaxy that the Yuuzhan Vong might have trouble in fighting against."  
  
"True," Stratus said, "but we already know that they're planning attack." 


	2. Battle Royale

Kyp looked at the High General in surprise. Stratus merely nodded and serenely regarded the Jedi.  
  
"We've intercepted transmissions on villips," Ky-Ra said by way of explanation, "they want us dead, not conquered and they're not terribly interested in how they get it done just so long as they do."  
  
Kyp had a hard time believing the calm demeanor of the Ziostian leaders. Any other government would have been in a panic if they had knowledge of imminent Yuuzhan Vong invasion.  
  
"We don't have much of a sky fleet," Stratus admitted, "but our troops are group force. What we do is on foot. We can clean up their shock troops. Whether we can hold actual Yuuzhan Vong warriors off is another matter."  
  
"Our men are trained to fight without giving or asking for quarter," Ky-Ra said calmly, "they'll die here if they die. It depends on how much the Vong are willing to give for our planet. We intend to make them pay dearly for whatever they get."  
  
The Ky's eyes had taken on a steely aspect. Everything she said was in deadly earnest. Kyp had often heard that the Kys had Jedi blood in their heritage. At that moment, Kyp didn't doubt it.  
  
"The Jedi can't allow you to defend yourselves alone," Kyp said empathetically, "it would be a massacre."  
  
Stratus and Ky-Ra both smiled, Stratus good naturedly, the Ky rather grimly.  
  
"A massacre for the Vong, I assure you," Ky-Ra said blandly.  
  
Kyp stared at the two military leaders in shock.  
  
"Surely you don't think you can attempt holding them off?"  
  
"We will do what we have to do," Stratus stated plainly.  
  
"It's what we've always done," Ky-Ra finished.  
  
Kyp shook his head. It was madness. Ziost might have an incredible ground military force, but they were much fewer in number than the invading force. There was no possible way he could conceive of the Ziostians winning.  
  
"Then I'm staying as well," Kyp said decisively.  
  
Ky-Ra shook her head and smiled wryly.  
  
"This isn't your fight, Master Durron. You have no business risking yourself for us. None of the Jedi do."  
  
"My place is where ever the Yuuzhan Vong intend to attack," Kyp said, "the Jedi's place is to defend those who need it."  
  
Stratus looked at his daughter appraisingly then turned to Kyp.  
  
"If that's the way you feel, you're welcome to stay," the High General said.  
  
The Ky glanced at her father out of the corner of her eye then gave a curt nod.  
  
"I will help where ever I'm needed," Kyp said.  
  
"I don't know how much good that statement will be," Stratus said with an ironic smile, "you're going to be needed everywhere." 


	3. Fight or Die

Ky-Ra glanced over her shoulder rather skeptically at the Jedi behind her. He seemed fascinated by the palace as the walked through it. While Ra had grown up in such opulence, she understood the overwhelming effect that it had on visitors.  
  
Massive mirrors, jeweled and imposing, lined the walls of the halls. What was even more spectacular was that ice from the planet was intricately implemented in the construction of the building, making any light that hit it reflect off the ice and mirrors in a sparkling, blinding display. The jewels that were planted everywhere flashed in their own rich elegance. Ra had never not known such a life. Everything about the Ziostians emphasized formality and order. They were the New Republics answer to the Chiss.  
  
Not that Ra had not known casual moments. Her mother, for all the stress of order and propriety, had married below her station by taking Stratus as her regent. Stratus had earned his military ranking by talent, not by birth. He was an incredibly talented man who had fallen in love with the Ky and who had done everything in his power to be worthy of her. Cobra herself had completely defied her counselors by choosing Stratus, a younger man who had no family, over the many other options she had. Not that previous Kys hadn't done the exact same thing. Aran-Ky, Cobra's mother, had married a rogue Imperial agent who had changed sides to the New Republic, and for two generations before that, the Kys had married Jedi. That fact was so closely guarded that the names of the Jedi weren't even known outside of the family.  
  
Which brought Ra back to her current situation. Kyp Durron was a famous Jedi Master. Famous for not so noble reasons, maybe, but famous none the less. Kyp was a wounded soul, Ra could feel it. It radiated off of him like a vapor. It was as if he was trying to prove himself to anyone who would listen. Ra wasn't interested in listening. She had a people to protect. She had greater priorities.  
  
"We have no flying force," Ra said to him to break the silence, "we intend to fight the Vong on the ground."  
  
"So they can rip you apart from the air and never land?" Kyp asked incredulously.  
  
"Our shields are stronger than anything you've ever encountered, Master Durron," Ra said blandly, "if they want to do any damage, they'll have to land."  
  
"A massacre on the ground is still a massacre," Kyp added, "and please call me Kyp. I'm not really used to all this Master formality."  
  
Ky-Ra eyed him as she stopped to open one of the doors to a room.  
  
"It won't be a massacre," she said firmly, "because the Vong haven't met anything like the Ziostians yet. Kyp."  
  
Kyp smiled wryly at the clipped use of his name.  
  
"The Vong have defeated everything that's been thrown at them, including the Jedi. What makes you think your people have a chance?"  
  
"Because if we don't succeed, we'll all die," Ky-Ra said determinedly, "we defeat them or they defeat us. There is no other way." 


	4. A Demonstration

Kyp looked curiously at the young Ky in front of him. She seemed utterly indifferent to him. For some reason, that bothered Kyp. Not normally used to wanting women to pay attention to him, he was puzzled by this sudden urge to make Ky-Ra notice him. Yet he knew next to nothing about her culture, a fact that he thoroughly regretted now. He remembered vague rumors that the Ky's secretly had Jedi blood in him, but other than that bit of gossip, he knew very little about Ky-Ra's world.  
  
"Look," he said finally, reaching out and touching the young woman's arm, "why don't you explain to me some of what is going on. I admit I know very little about any of this, but I'm willing to learn."  
  
Ky-Ra looked at him in surprise. She seemed to appraise his sincerity, then nodded.  
  
"Ziostians are warriors of the Jedi tradition," she said as she tapped a code into a wall pad and part of the wall suddenly slid back, "we fight like Jedi. Maybe not the same style or weapons exactly, but if you ever saw us in action, you'd think we were Jedi if you didn't know better."  
  
"What weapons?" Kyp asked, suddenly very curious.  
  
Instead of answering, the Ky reached to her back and grabbed what looked like two lightsaber handles that hung just below shoulder level on a razorback strap that crossed her back. As she pulled up on the handles, what looked like the laser blade of a very thin lightsaber ignited as though she were pulling it out of a scabbard until she was holding what looked like a thin lightsaber and another weapon about half the length.  
  
"This is a le-art," she said, holding up the longer weapon, "and this is a kray-sha. Ziostians fight two handed. A good warrior can hold off several attackers at once with these two weapons."  
  
Kyp tilted his head and looked at the two blades, glowing a light silver in the refracted luminescence of the room. The le-art looked like a delicate weapon compared to the heavier kray-sha, which did not have the reach of its companion. Kyp felt rather skeptical about the abilities of either of those weapons, though he'd wait to make his judgment until he saw them in action.  
  
Ra seemed to sense his reluctance to comment on the two blades and she suddenly gave a shrill whistle. Almost immediately two guards in basic military uniform appeared in the room. The Ky flashed both guards a rather devious look and expertly spun the blades in her hand. The guards must have had some familiarity with such a display, because both gave indulgent looks to their leader then reached up and ignited their weapons. Within a second all three combatants collided in a riot of colored blades that sizzled as they connected. While it was simply a sparring demonstration, Kyp immediately recognized the superior fighting prowess of Ky-Ra. As the three spun away from each other, it was the Ky who rounded first and settled into the offensive position. Under any other circumstance, Kyp would have suspected that the guards were holding back to humor their leader, but with a fighter's eye he could tell that both guards were doing everything in their power to hold the agile young woman off. The Ky herself was a blur of motion, one minute holding off a blade with the delicate le-art, the next throwing her weight fully behind the stouter kray-sha. Kyp was suddenly convinced that the Yuuzhan Vong had a fight on their hands if any of the other military fighters were near the caliber of their Ky. Ky-Ra spun away from the guard on her left, then with a blindingly fast motion shot her elbow back, catching the second guard squarely in the elbow, sending his le- art flying. In the next movement she had upended the first guard and with her le-art pointed at one throat she flung her kray-sha in the direction of the guard retrieving his weapon. The kray-sha caught the lost le-art and sent it spinning. Then with another flick of her hand, both the le-art and the thrown kray-sha shot across the room into the Ky's waiting hand.  
  
Kyp watched the display in shock. Obviously the old warrior's tales about Ziostian's being able to 'do things' hadn't been an exaggeration. With a flourish, Ky-Ra pulled the three weapons she was holding in a sharp salute to her guards, then with a flick of her wrist tossed the one guard's le-art back to him.  
  
She stood in front of Kyp flushed with her sudden exertion, her curly hair hanging loose in some places from her clasp. A slight smile graced her face, giving her normally harsh looks a battle hungry beauty. Kyp felt an overpowering urge to grab her and drag her to himself. He gave himself a bewildered shake from that notion before it could take hold. He had no place even considering such things about a woman he barely knew. It wasn't the time or the place or the woman for that matter.  
  
"I believe you," he said with an appreciative smile, "and I'm impressed."  
  
"Naturally," Ky-Ra said, "now tell me something about yourself." 


	5. Sorry

Over a two-week span, Ky-Ra had come to appreciate the roguish Jedi who had come to live at the palace. He was unobtrusive most of the time, but occasionally he would make a suggestion for defensive tactics and Ky-Ra got the distinct impression that he didn't fear or respect her the way her soldiers did. While he didn't openly comment on anything, there was something to him that hinted that he wouldn't blindly follow anyone.  
  
Ra had found herself enjoying his company. It was a novelty to find someone as willful as she was and Kyp had more rough, unexplored facets than any man she had ever met. He could be sarcastic and hostile, but under it all, she still felt the original tell tale wounded ness pulsing from him.  
  
Kyp himself was having trouble containing his feelings for the enigmatic Ky. He never had much use for women in his past. Of course there had been the odd one or two that had caught his eye, and he honestly didn't know what his feelings for Jaina Solo were, but he did know for sure that no woman he had ever known had inspired the feelings in him that he had towards Ky-Ra. It wasn't just that he wanted to be around her; it was that he needed it. He craved it like food; like air. While he still had his pride, there was a part of him that wanted nothing more than to make her happy. Realistically, he wouldn't do it, but there was a part of him that for the first time felt somewhat healed. For the first time he felt like he wanted to let someone in, and it scared him. He was no match for a warrior queen and he knew it. He was simply a Jedi Master, and a less than noble one at that. He knew he loved what he couldn't have, but that fact couldn't keep him from loving it. There was a fire in her that he'd only seen in women like Mara Jade and Princess Leia to a degree. He had always known that he could only love a woman like that, be he'd always also known he'd never deserve one.  
  
These thoughts were starting to occupy his mind more and more. It was one of those times that Ra managed to startle him from his reverie.  
  
"So solemn," she said, sitting down across from him. Her barely controllable hair hanging wildly around her face, she was still wearing the plain military uniform that he'd always seen her in.  
  
Kyp gave a faint smile and leaned back against his seat.  
  
"It's the invasion," he lied. Lying was easier than the truth.  
  
Ky-Ra was not about to let him off that easily.  
  
"It's not," she said, looking at him harder, "and don't take me for a fool."  
  
Kyp flinched at his mistake. A diplomatic woman would have passed on his lie and let him say what he wanted. Ky-Ra was the very definition of undiplomatic.  
  
"I don't take you for a fool," he said calmly, "but I relive myself being one more often than I like."  
  
"We all do," Ra said with a nod.  
  
"Not to the degree I do," Kyp said softly.  
  
Ra looked closely at the man sitting across from her. He was attractive of a kind and to a degree that most men weren't. There was an intensity and passion about him that simmered just below the surface, but mingled in that was a pain that threatened to boil over. It was as if he constantly had to keep a tight reign on his emotions to keep himself from flying apart. His dark brown eyes seemed to give away entirely what was going on in his soul. Sharp features and high, defined bone structure gave his face the dangerous, yet delicate, profile of the arrogant, stately kind. It was almost as though he couldn't help looking aloof. Nature had made him that way. His fairly long, unkempt brown hair, pulled hastily away from his face, leaving strands hanging loose, added to his rakish quality. He could have achieved anything he wanted; yet the pain he carried crippled him from actually succeeding.  
  
Kyp let his eyes rise to meet Ra's as she studied him. She didn't look away and read in those eyes a challenge, yet a vulnerableness that most people would miss. He reached a hand up to Ra's face and leaned towards her. A fraction of an inch before his mouth touched hers; he stopped, still searing her with his eyes.  
  
"Are you going to hurt me?" he murmured huskily, yet it was a real question, loaded with a fear he'd seemed to be hiding for some time.  
  
"If I do, I'll never forgive myself," Ky-Ra whispered back seriously, having never meant anything she had said as much in her life.  
  
With that affirmative, Kyp didn't pause from capturing her lips with his, desperate for the contact like a drowning man for air. It wasn't a gentle kiss; it was hungry. There was a need to it had nearly made him desperate. His hand tangled in the Ky's mass of hair, Kyp recognized that fact that if he didn't stop soon, he wasn't going to be able to. Yet there was a part of him that didn't care. He put up a powerful struggle against that part and finally managed to pull himself together enough to break his contact with the Ky.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said, not really meaning it in the slightest. Whether he was sorry about kissing her or sorry about having to stop, he couldn't even have told himself.  
  
"I'm not," she breathed, still letting one hand rest on his face.  
  
"You're both going to be," said a new voice from the corner of the room. 


	6. The Prophesied One

Kyp and Ky-Ra lurched back from each other at the sound of the voice. As they turned towards the intruder, Kyp moved in front of the Ky rather protectively. The person leaning the doorway was younger than both of them and tall in a well-built way. He had longish black hair and eyes of the same piercing blue that Kyp had seen on Stratus. Only this male was younger, probably only about sixteen.  
  
"Rus!" Ky-Ra cried as she launched herself towards the figure.  
  
The young man in question opened his arms and enveloped the young queen as she ran to him. Kyp didn't know whether to be angry about the display or greet the new guest.  
  
"This is my brother, Cerberus," Ra said, solving the problem for him and looking fondly at the much taller family member.  
  
Cerberus arched an eyebrow at Kyp and looked at him appraisingly. There was a threat behind his too blue eyes that Kyp realized he'd do well to take heed of. While on closer inspection there was something of the good-natured expression of his father to him, Kyp realized that both men were probably deadly when riled. Stratus wasn't the High General for nothing and judging from the bars on Cerberus's uniform, he wasn't far behind his father.  
  
"Don't say anything," Ra commanded her brother rather imperiously.  
  
"I won't," he said, but the look he aimed both of them said that we would if he felt he needed to.  
  
"We found something, Ra," Cerberus said seriously.  
  
The Ky watched her brother expectantly.  
  
"There's a prophecy," he said, leaning back against the wall, "the prophecy talks about 'she who is not named' but that has unlimited powers. The Yuuzhan Vong are talking frantically about it now. It seems they feel that they know who it is. They think the person is here."  
  
Kyp looked at the two siblings curiously. They stood together as though they were seriously considering the implications of what had been learned.  
  
"It has no basis," Kyp said finally, "it could just be some random cracked prophecy for all you know. I see it as nothing to excited over."  
  
"But it's enough to get the Vong excited," Ky-Ra said, "and I don't see them being this worked up unless there is some basis."  
  
"They're religious fanatics, Ra," Kyp said skeptically.  
  
"All the more reason to take this prophecy seriously," Cerberus threw in.  
  
Ky-Ra sat down and took to twisting one of the many jeweled rings on her fingers. Her face looked deadly serious and her eyes were icy.  
  
"We need to find this prophesied one," she said, her voice low and forceful, "this might be our only chance."  
  
Cerberus sighed and shook his head.  
  
"Not that easy, Ra," he said, "this person could be anyone for all we know."  
  
It was Ra's turn to shake her head.  
  
"Wrong, Rus. They've spent long enough ignoring us. I don't think it's just a coincidence that the Vong have decided to attack us right when they think they've figured out what their prophecy means."  
  
"She's here," Kyp said quietly, "your prophesied one is on this planet."  
  
A/N- Please do review. I honestly need feed back to be able to tell where to take this story and even if anyone is reading it to care. 


End file.
